A blog launched on the 41st anniversary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the first pro-life organisation in the world, established on 11 January 1967. SPUC has been a leader in the educational and political battle against abortion, human embryo experimentation and euthanasia since then. I write this blog in my role as SPUC's chief executive, commenting on pro-life news, reflecting on pro-life issues and promoting SPUC's work.

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

On 17 February, Robin Haig, SPUC's chairman, and myself wrote to King Philippe of Belgium, urging him not to sign the bill passed by Belgian's parliament which would allow the euthanasia of children. The full text of the letter is below.

His Majesty King Philippe of the Belgians

Palais de Bruxelles

Rue Brederode 16

B-1000 Brussels

Belgium

17 February 2014

Sire,

Law for euthanasia of children

We write, on behalf of the tens of thousands of members and supporters of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, to express our distress, which you no doubt share, at the recent passage of the law through the Belgian Parliament permitting euthanasia for children.

Critics of the law have engaged in discussion over whether a child can be mature enough to make such a decision. We go further and say that no law should permit innocent human beings to be killed. Such a law, which may appear to require that strict respect for legality is maintained, is in reality a rejection of our patrimony: of human rights, democracy and our duty to the weaker members of society.

As the late Pope Blessed John-Paul II said of abortion and euthanasia:

These attacks go directly against respect for life and they represent a direct threat to the entire culture of human rights. It is a threat capable, in the end, of jeopardizing the very meaning of democratic coexistence: rather than societies of "people living together", our cities risk becoming societies of people who are rejected, marginalized, uprooted and oppressed. (Evangelium Vitae, 18)

The late Holy Father continued:

The State is no longer the “common home” where all can live together on the basis of principles of fundamental equality, but is transformed into a tyrant State, which arrogates to itself the right to dispose of the life of the weakest and most defenceless members, from the unborn child to the elderly, in the name of a public interest which is really nothing but the interest of one part. The appearance of the strictest respect for legality is maintained, at least when the laws permitting abortion and euthanasia are the result of a ballot in accordance with what are generally seen as the rules of democracy. Really, what we have here is only the tragic caricature of legality; ….(Evangelium Vitae, 19)

This great defender and vindicator of European democracy went on to say:

Fundamentally, democracy is a “system” and as such is a means and not an end. Its “moral” value is not automatic, but depends on conformity to the moral law to which it, like every other form of human behaviour, must be subject: in other words, its morality depends on the morality of the ends which it pursues and of the means which it employs. (Evangelium Vitae, 70)

Such “laws” are thus described by Blessed John-Paul as an attack on the culture of human rights, a caricature of legality, and a threat to democracy’s moral validity.Blessed John-Paul also said:

In the Encyclical Pacem in Terris, John XXIII pointed out that “it is generally accepted today that the common good is best safeguarded when personal rights and duties are guaranteed. The chief concern of civil authorities must therefore be to ensure that these rights are recognized, respected, co-ordinated, defended and promoted, and that each individual is enabled to perform his duties more easily. For ‘to safeguard the inviolable rights of the human person, and to facilitate the performance of his duties, is the principal duty of every public authority’. Thus any government which refused to recognize human rights or acted in violation of them, would not only fail in its duty; its decrees would be wholly lacking in binding force”. (Evangelium Vitae, 71)

The footnote to Evangelium Vitae here notes that Pope John XXIII was in turn quoting from Pius XII’sRadio Message of Pentecost 1941 (1 June 1941). It goes on to note that Pacem in Terris cites Pius XII’swartime Encyclical Letter Mit brennender Sorgeand his Christmas Radio Message (24 December 1942).

Thus Blessed John-Paul, and his predecessors, linked the duty of public officials, and the threats to the inviolable rights of the person, to the darkest times of recent European history.

We do not know what the consequences of refusing to sign this law will be for you or for the Belgian monarchy. We know that your esteemed forebear King Baudouin stepped down from the throne temporarily when he nobly refused to confirm a pro-abortion law in 1990. We would urge you to do all in your power to protect Belgium’s children from this latest attack.Even if your refusal to authorise this law has profound consequences for the future of the Belgian monarchy, we urge you to consider what future proposals you or your successor may face in another 25 years if this law is not resisted now with maximum determination.

We pray that you will have wise advisers in this difficult time.If we can assist you in any way in resisting this law we should be honoured to do so.

We have the honour to be, Sire, Your Majesty's humble and obedient servants,

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Fr Timothy Radcliffe O.P. has issued a statement in response to calls by concerned Catholics, including myself, for this weekend's Divine Mercy Conference in Dublin to cancel his appearance due to his dissent from Catholic teaching on sexual ethics. Deacon Nick Donnelly of the excellent Protect the Pope blog has already detailed Fr Radcliffe's unorthodox contribution to the Church of England's Pilling review on homosexuality, and Kathy Sinnott and Fr Dominic Allain have taken apart that contribution in an edition of Kathy's Celtic Connections radio programme on EWTN.

In his statement on the Divine Mercy Conference website, Fr Radcliffe admits that:

"I have presided occasionally at Masses which were intended to be especially welcoming to gay people."

The Masses in question are the infamous Soho gay Masses. Fr Radcliffe goes on to claim that:

"There are no grounds at all for regarding these Masses as gatherings of dissenters from the Church’s teaching."

Fr Radcliffe's claim is demonstrably false - there is a mountain of evidence that those Masses were precisely "gatherings of dissenters from the Church’s teaching" - see my blog-posts of 25 Aug. 2010, 9 Sep. 2010, 13 Dec. 2010 and 7 Jan. 2012 ) Fr Radcliffe himself gave words of succour to those dissenters in his sermons to them. On 7 May 2004, The Catholic Herald reported that Fr Radcliffe "has presided over a Mass for London's gay Catholics." The paper also reported that Fr Radcliffe told a recent convert that he "must understand that he has joined with all sorts of people whose opinions on homosexuality may differ widely." The paper quoted Fr Radcliffe saying that:

"You are becoming one with all sorts of people with whom you may profoundly disagree, and who may appear to reject your sexual orientation and much that you may hold dear ... [such as] Cardinal Ratzinger".

"Every statement that comes from the Vatican seems to provoke more misunderstanding, more embarrassment, more frustration. My indignation with what the Vatican says is only exceeded by my indignation at its wilful misrepresentation by the press."

"This is not to denigrate committed love of people of the same sex. This too should be cherished and supported, which is why church leaders are slowly coming to support samesex civil unions. The God of love can be present in every true love."

In a 26 November 2005 article in The Tablet entitled "Can gays be priests?" Fr Radcliffe interpreted the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's document on "Persons with homosexual tendencies and the priesthood". Criticising Fr Radcliffe's interpretation, Fr Alphonsus de Valk wrote that:

"The article has done a disservice to the Church...by attempting to deconstruct the Vatican warnings ... In unjustly deriding the Vatican warnings, Fr. Radcliffe has given succor to other detractors."

In 2006, Fr Radcliffe joined Britain's leading dissenting Catholics in contributing an essay to "Opening up: Speaking out in the Church", a book of essays produced as a tribute to Martin Pendergast, one of Britain's leading Christian homosexual activists and one of the organisers of the Soho gay Masses. The book was co-edited by Julian Filochowski, Pendergast's civil partner, and Peter Stanford, another notorious dissenter from Catholic sexual ethics.

On 10 July 2009, Fr Radcliffe gave a talk to a Catholic parish in Mashpee, Massachusetts, in which he said:

"It's not that sexual ethics are particularly important. I don't think they are" (video at 8min40sec)

and

"We have to find ways of promoting our vision of the Christian family so as we can have a context within which to raise children, another generation; but we have to do it in a way which doesn't trash the relationships that people actually have" (video at 1min)

"[S]hould the Church accommodate her teaching to the experience of our contemporaries or should we stick by our traditional sexual ethics and risk becoming a fortress Church, a small minority out of step with people’s lives? Neither option seems right ... I confess that I do not know the answer."

a keynote address to a US religious education conference, in which he was reported as saying:

“We accompany people in friendship as they become moral agents. Let’s look at the gays. For some reason--I don’t actually understand why--it’s become a very hot topic in all the churches at the moment. It’s tearing the Church of England apart. It’s the cause of great dissension in our own church. Usually when we think about it, we ask, ‘What is forbidden or permitted?’ But I’m afraid I’m an old-fashioned and traditional Catholic, and I believe that’s the wrong place to start. We begin by standing by gay people as they hear the voice of the Lord that summons them to life and happiness. We accompany them as they wrestle with discovering what this means and how they must walk. And this means letting our imaginations be stretched open to watching Brokeback Mountain, reading gay novels, having gay friends, making that leap of the heart and the mind, delighting in their being, listening with them as they listen to the Lord.”

In March 2012, Stephen Hough, a concert pianist who is openly practising homosexual Catholic, argued in favour of same-sex marriage in a blogpost on The Telegraph website, in which he said:

"I am heartened by Father Timothy Radcliffe's article in The Tablet which tries to place marriage and partnerships from a Catholic viewpoint in a clearer perspective. As the former head of the Dominican Order worldwide, he is the most senior churchman to offer a revisionist view on this issue ... If Fr. Radcliffe's lone voice were a united choir from the bishops worldwide the Church might be in a better position to discuss this issue and make a valuable contribution."

Fr Radcliffe has a problem understanding and accepting the concept of obedience, both to the truth and to the Magisterium which proclaims that truth:

During his 2009 Mashpee talk, he said that the Catholic Church "tends to be addicted to the culture of control" (video at 3min40sec).

In an article in The Catholic Herald on 2 December 2005, ("A wound to the Body of Christ"), Fr Radcliffe complained that Catholics during the Counter-Reformation "had to toe the party line, to stick to precise formulations of dogmatic positions".

In an article in The Catholic Herald on 10 December 2006, writer Raymond Edwards described Fr Radcliffe as the "darling of English progressives" and criticised what he described as Fr Radcliffe's "misunderstanding of the role of the Church's Magisterium" and his "agnosticism" regarding sexual ethics.

Again, during his 2009 Mashpee talk, Fr Radcliffe was asked about relations between the Catholic Church and the newly-elected President Barack Obama. He replied (video at 9mins28secs) that:

"I think that the most important thing is to have a mutually-respectful dialogue with President Obama. He is a very bright man. I have to say that when he was elected, in England you cannot believe the excitement we had. And I believe that he is a man with whom the Church can be in dialogue, on all sorts of issues."

Fr Radcliffe then called to the stage Professor Thomas Groome to speak as an expert on the Church's "dialogue" with Mr Obama. As LifeSiteNews.com has detailed, Professor Groome is a leading dissenter from Catholic teaching within the world of Catholic education. Cardinal George Pell has banned his books within the Archdiocese of Sydney. Professor Groome said (video at 0mins40secs) that:

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Pro-life pregnancy counsellors "doing an heroic job", says SPUC
Pro-life pregnancy counsellors are "doing an heroic job", says SPUC. SPUC was commenting the light of The Telegraph newspaper's attack, in concert with pro-abortion campaigners, on crisis pregnancy centres manned by pro-life counsellors. Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, commented: "In our experience, on the whole, crisis pregnancy centres are doing an heroic job, in the face of concerted and deceitful opposition from representatives of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the avaricious abortion industry which the RCOG represents." [SPUC, 11 February]

John Smeaton, SPUC's chief executive, given major award
John Smeaton, SPUC's chief executive, has been given a major award. Mr Smeaton was given the 2013 Cardinal John J. O'Connor Pro-Life Award by the Pro-Life Commitee of Legatus www.legatus.org Legatus, founded in 1987, helps top-ranking Catholic executives become "ambassadors for Christ". The award was given in a ceremony at the 2014 Legatus Summit, held this past weekend in Orlando, Florida. The Legatus Pro-life Committee said that "John Smeaton’s long history of work with life issues dating back to 1975 provides him with a wealth of knowledge, experience and insight to effectively deal with present-day threats to human life". [SPUC, 11 February]

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

My visit to Russia's UN delegation:
Peter Smith, one of SPUC's chief UN
lobbyists, is on the right

I'm travelling back to the UK today after a three-week working visit to the United States. I met a number of pro-life leaders, either in their offices or at the Legatus Summit, as well as Archbishop Chullikatt and members of the Holy See's delegation to the United Nations. I also met (introduced by Peter Smith, one of SPUC's chief UN lobbyists) the Russian delegation to the UN (pictured) and I congratulated them on recent legislation in Russia to ban advertising abortion services.

Finally, I wish to pause and reflect on the Gospel from this past Sunday Mass, which was from St Matthew, chapter 5:13-16. Here is the same Gospel but starting at verse 10 and ending half-way through verse 13:

"Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. You are the salt of the earth."

These words of our Lord, persecuted so cruelly Himself, seem to me to apply very aptly to the pro-life counsellors who were attacked this week so hypocritically by the mainstream media and their orchestrators in the pro-abortion lobby. We must let pro-life counsellors know that they are the salt of the earth, blessed now on earth and promised great reward in heaven. I am also very proud of SPUC's team in London which issued a strong statement defending those counsellors and fighting back against the culture-of-death business. The statement is full of factual information, based on SPUC's nearly 50 years of experience.

Tuesday, 11 February 2014

SPUC has commented the light of The Telegraph newspaper's attack, in concert with pro-abortion campaigners, on crisis pregnancy centres manned by pro-life counsellors.

Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, told the media today:

"SPUC does not run crisis pregnancy centres, but we encourage such efforts and provide some groups with literature telling accurately about what abortion does to women and babies. Our literature is backed up with medical evidence. In our experience, on the whole, crisis pregnancy centres are doing an heroic job, in the face of concerted and deceitful opposition from representatives of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the avaricious abortion industry which the RCOG represents.

The counselling centres are helping hundreds of women to avoid abortion, and playing a significant part in reducing the abortion rate. Many of them not only provide counselling but practical support - something which none of the abortion agencies do. Also, unlike abortionists, these counselling centres do not receive NHS funding contingent on the outcome of the services they provide.

Doctors falsify statutory abortion forms on a routine basis, with the connivance of the RCOG and the Department of Health. This enriches abortion merchants such as the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), out of the deaths of over 500 babies every day. Dishonest doctors are raking in huge fees, and are jealous of those groups who are snatching potential victims away from them.

Dr Kate Guthrie of the RCOG told The Telegraph that there is 'absolutely no evidence that abortions lead to an increased risk of breast cancer'. Dr Guthrie's statement is simply not true. Although the evidence is not conclusive, it is voluminous. For example, in November last year a meta-analysis of 36 studies of the possible abortion-breast cancer link among Chinese females found a 44% increased risk of breast cancer after one or more abortions, 76% increased risk after two abortions or more, and 89% increaseed risk after 3 or more abortions. Although this does not prove that abortion causes breast cancer, for a doctor to deny that such evidence exists is irresponsible, and to try to stop women finding out about suggests a profound commitment to promoting abortion."

Anthony McCarthy, Open Letter to the British Humanist Association and Education for Choice in response to allegations made about SPUC’s education programme, 25 May 2012 https://www.spuc.org.uk/documents/papers/humanists20120525 (this letter contains further references to evidence linking abortion to breast cancer, as well to infertility and to psychiatric harm).

Friday, 7 February 2014

As readers may recall, I and other concerned pro-life/pro-family Catholics have objected to the invitation to Fr Timothy Radcliffe O.P. to speak at Dublin's Divine Mercy conference on 22/23 February. Fr Radcliffe is well-known as a veteran dissenter from Catholic teaching on sexuality. Deacon Nick Donnelly of the excellent "Protect the Pope" blog has detailed Fr Radcliffe's dissent. The conference's organising committee has issued a statement (see below) defending the invitation to Fr Radcliffe. The statement emphasises the committee's assertion that they

"stand with the Church in all matters of faith and morals"

which begs the question: If that is so, why are they inviting and defending someone who clearly does not "stand with the Church in all matters of faith and morals"?

STATEMENT FROM THE DIVINE MERCY COMMITTEE

What does the Lord require of us?

“To act justly and to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God”Micah 6:8

The nature of devotion in the history of Catholic spirituality is that it is clearly centred on reverence and respect: reverence for God and the things of God and respect for our neighbour and the things of our neighbour. These are two qualities which are commended by St. Faustina:

“As for you be always merciful to other people and especially towards sinners”(SFD 1446).

“On the cross the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls - no one have I excluded.”(SFD 1182).

Following inquiries with appropriate Church authorities we have invited Fr TimothyRadcliffeO.P. to address the Divine Mercy Conference in Dublin on the theme “OUR FATHER…THY WILL BE DONE”on Saturday 22ndand Sunday 23rdFebruary, 2014. Fr.Radcliffeis a respected and much sought after international speaker on scripture and spirituality. He works closely with Church leaders on an international level and we believe he will have an important message to share with us.

Through this statement, we wish to acknowledge all those who expressed concern or had reservations , and we want to assure all who participate in the Divine Mercy Movement that in line with St Faustina’s teaching, we stand with the Church in all matters of faith and moralsas faithful disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

In keeping with St. Faustina’s message the purpose of the Conference is to glorify God’s Mercy and encourage fidelity to the Catholic Church in these difficult times.

We would like to conclude with these words of St. Faustina’:

“Love is a mystery that transforms everything it touches into things beautiful and pleasing to God,”(SFD, 890).

Please pray for the Conference and pray for the victory of LOVE in the world.

Today I launched an appeal to pro-life groups worldwide to join our experienced lobbying team to fight against US, British and EU policy of promoting the legalisation of abortion in every country of the world.

A United Nations (UN) committee on the Rights of the Child overstepped its mandate in its pro-abortion attack on the Catholic Church, said lobbyists for SPUC at the UN.

SPUC is recognised officially by the UN at a non-governmental organisation NGO, and provides most of the pro-life lobbying efforts at the UN institutions in New York and Geneva.

SPUC was responding to a report published today by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child which attacked the Catholic Church's teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality, under the guise of a critique of the Church's handling of child sex abuse cases. The report, among similar things, recommends that the Catholic Church:

identifies "circumstances under which access to abortion services can be permitted" (section 55)

"overcome[s] all the barriers and taboos surrounding adolescent sexuality that hinder their access to sexual and reproductive information, including on family planning and contraceptives" (section 57a)

"ensure[s] that sexual and reproductive health education and prevention of HIV/AIDS is part of the mandatory curriculum of Catholic schools" (section 57c)

I am in New York with Peter Smith, one of SPUC's UN lobbyists, and as I told the media earlier today, the committee has overstepped its mandate by making demands well beyond the scope of the actual wording of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. There is nothing in the Convention which requires the Catholic Church or any other body to facilitate abortion, contraception or homosexuality.

There is a great deal of hypocrisy in the committee's report. Under the cover of seeking to protect children against sexual abuse, the report promotes damage to children - the destruction of unborn children through abortion and the destruction of born children's innocence through the promotion of contraception and homosexuality.

The Holy See's representatives made clear to the committee last month, Catholic leaders are facing up to the shocking child abuse scandals within the Church. Pro-life and pro-family groups throughout the world must - like SPUC - come to the UN to help the Holy See in its vital work of protecting unborn children and the marriage-based family. This work is under constant attack by the Catholic Church's enemies, as manifested in the committee's report today.

Any pro-life/pro-family groups interested in lobbying at the UN are invited to contact me for help and advice regarding accreditation and related issues, on +44 (0)7785 325808 or at johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk

Notes:

The report references general comment 15 which was condemned by Archbishop Chullikatt of the Holy See in a speech to the UN General Assembly in October:

"In light of the recent output of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, my Delegation would like to address some elements of General Comments 14 and 15. These Comments, my Delegation must point out respectfully, represent only the opinions of the Committee; they do not constitute agreed language and lack all force of judicial precedence. Whatever is contained within them that is not consistent with the normative text of the Convention and other international instruments constitutes a disservice to the best interests of children. Expressions such as “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” (General Comment No. 14 [2013], par. 55, and No. 15 [2013], par. 8)), on which no international juridical consensus exists, are used spuriously and very unfortunately in these Comments. The recommendations, for example, States submit children to education and direction on sexual health, contraception and so-called “safe” abortion (par. 31) without the consent of their parents, caregiver or guardian; abortion be promoted by States as a family planning method (par. 54, 56, 70), and so-called “sexual and reproductive health information or services” be provided by States, irrespective of providers’ conscientious objections (par. 69). Such recommendations are particularly reprehensible. No abortion is ever “safe” because it kills the life of the child and harms the mother.
The Holy See strongly urges the Committee to revise its General Comments in conformity with its guiding international instruments: beginning with the Convention itself, which affirms the right to life of the child, “before as well as after birth” (Preamble, par. 9), the right of conscience [7], and full respect for the rights, responsibilities and duties of parents regarding their children[8]; and including also the explicit affirmation by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) that abortion should never be promoted as a family planning method (par. 7.24)."

Monday, 3 February 2014

The 7th International Pro-Life Youth Conference will start on Friday 7 March and there are still places available, at what is the UK's premier pro-life youth event. The conference runs until Sunday 9 March and will be held this year at University of Wolverhampton, Telford Campus Conference Centre.

"Inspiring conferences are vital to the life of the pro-life movement. Friendships formed, ideas exchanged, stories shared. For a few days young adults spend time in a community atmosphere, the sort of community they are trying to build amid the culture of death so many of us find ourselves in.

Our youth are indeed the future, but they are also right now the activists, witnesses, leafleters, marchers, writers, speakers, and volunteers.

SPUC, the world's oldest prolife organisation is holding its youth conference for them, and for those who want to join this movement. This conference only happens once a year. Don’t miss out. Attend now, to be equipped to make a pro-life change tomorrow."

John Smeaton

About Me

I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 39 years. I became chief executive of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London.

Acknowledgement

I am grateful to SPUC's staff, supporters and advisers for their help to me in researching, writing and producing this blog.

Sign up for email alerts

Twitter @spucprolife

Images

I believe that I am allowed to use the images accompanying my blog and that they are licence- and royalty-free. However if the owner or the licensor disagrees, please contact me and I will remove it immediately.